Pre-construction demolition begins on old armory

TAMPA An iconic West Tampa structure that has sat dormant for years is expected to come alive next year as the Tampa Jewish Community Center prepares to turn the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory into its second campus.

A $6 million injection into a capital campaign from the state Legislature this spring has sparked pre-construction demolition, with workers removing ceiling panels and lighting fixtures and preparing the site for early events.

The Jewish Community Center & Federation hopes to raise $24 million to turn the empty building between Howard and Armenia avenues south of Interstate 275 into a beehive of activity, including a new 14,000-square-foot preschool, recreational amenities, health and wellness services and art space.

About $18 million has been raised so far, and developers are confident enough in reaching the goal that new signs are up proclaiming, The Future Is Here.

Several years ago, center administrators realized that what director Jack Ross called a matter of geographical psychology was keeping people from South Tampa from using the existing Jewish Community Center on Gunn Highway in North Tampa.

Meanwhile, proposal after proposal for development of the 73-year-old armory fizzled, and when talks to bring a Department of Veterans Affairs center broke down, we stepped in, Ross said.

Late last year, the group signed a 99-year lease and option to buy with the State Armory Board for 5.7 acres of the full 10-acre National Guard site. The guard will maintain its staging area to the north of the parcel; the Jewish Community Center will transform the 83,000-square-foot main structure. Additional buildings will complement the original armory.

The site misses state Sen. Jeff Brandes Pinellas-Hillsborough district by about 1,700 feet, but the Republican from St. Petersburg said he was happy to marshal the $6 million budget request through the Legislature.

I think this is probably the greatest economic development facility we could have for the North Hyde Park area, and I think its going to really transform that area, he said. I immediately got the vision of what they were trying to do, and I saw the impact it was going to have on the community. This seemed like a modest investment that will have huge implications down the road.

Ross said the revival of the armory has three components.

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Pre-construction demolition begins on old armory